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Hi everyone, would this style be suitable for a lace system? it seems to be pretty low maintenance hairline wise. Would love some input, thanks!
Is This Style Possible With A Lace System?
- Thread starter Caleb Morgan
- Start date
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Hi. Looks very achievable for a 'top' hairpiece. You would need an experienced stylist. a few points..stock pieces come at a max of 6 inches long.. that may be a bit too short if the lenght from the crown to the forehead needs more than 6". I would take straight hair ( not curly, again stock pieces have some curl..) My experience with human hair is that it is naturally fluffy, and with long hair, you will need to use gels or other styling products. That hair style will require a layered cut ( hair not all the same lenght) & technique used to achieve that is point cut. Lastly, I would go with a mix of synthetic hair as, based on my experience, synthetic hair falls flatter and with that lenght, would work better. Hope this helps
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I LOVE this style!!! Yes, totally doable... and since you don't expose the hairline, you can use tape all around, making maintenance super easy.
You also don't need very thick side hair to pull it off, either.
OK, so show us the results when you are done!
You also don't need very thick side hair to pull it off, either.
OK, so show us the results when you are done!
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Sorry guys, I was short on time last night, so these aren't the best pics but you get the idea. Let me just say, it pays to have a GREAT stylist. This is a swiss lace base with tape perimeter and 1/2 inch walker notape clear adhesive hairline. Unit specs are: 60-65% density (medium-medium light) graduated hairline, fully bleached knots, freestyle venting, light body wave; 6 inch length. The haircut was done by eye, but I think she used a 2 or guard and did lots of texturing/blending. I wanna say she only took a couple inches off, so it's a good length.
So, does this suit me? Is it believable?
So, does this suit me? Is it believable?
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I think it looks good.
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Noah,
Thank you for your kind words. I'm really liking the style. I wish I had started out with a style like this. I spent so much time worrying with my first system (thin skin) which had a short cut, sort of slicked back, bad idea
As for the hairline, this morning I had some pretty big lifts, it's been only 3 days so I'm thinking I didn't prep correctly. But I made the repairs quickly (10 minutes) There's also a bit of a shine that I think is caused by the clear adhesive I'm using. I also have trouble seeing the amount of glue I'm putting on if that makes sense. Only one coat, though. So to answer your question, with this attachment, I don't feel comfortable exposing the hairline. However, I specifically requested this style in case I wanted to change it up and expose it. Thankfully I have two systems this time, so weekly attachments will hopefully be a breeze. I go back Monday for my second cut-in so I believe my next attachment will be much better.
Do you have any tips on using clear adhesive with lace systems?
So my process is as follows:
shave head, exfoliate periodically.
cotton ball with alcohol lightly on scalp, dry
apply pro labs no sweat, dry
apply walker sport hold max (?) dry
apply tape to system
use template to mark hairline and center up
attach two side pieces of tape first, also using adjustment spray to buy me some time
once centered, attach back pieces of tape
attach front hairline piece of tape about an inch back
apply one coat of adhesive about 1/2 inch wide, dry 5 minutes
gently press down and check for glue
lightly wet and style
So even with using my template to mark the hairline, I always tend to have a little too much glue on my forehead, and ends up making an otherwise good front look messy, do you have any tips?
I'll share a pic of the hairline today after work.
Thank you so much!
Noah
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 1,960
Hi Caleb
It's strange, but problems with having a lot of hairline lift seem to go away after you have been wearing for a week or two, I'm not sure why. Most beginners experience them, but by a month into the process they seem to sort themselves out.
Your routine sounds very thorough, and is pretty similar to what I do. By way of comparison, here is my routine, which I outlined for another poster:
I put the system on in the middle first, and then do the front and back. I tape up the back and sides, but leave the backing paper on the tape, and just turn over one corner on each piece. Then I put two little bits of additional tape (a square centimetre each) on the piece, about the mid-point (over the top of my ears) about a centimetre in from the edge, one on each side. I do take the backing paper off those. Then I give my scalp and the two small pieces of tape a light spritz of alcohol, and put the piece on. Because of the alcohol and the small size of the bare pieces of tape, I am able to move the piece around until it is in the perfect position, and once it is, I can press down on the two pieces of tape, and they stick, anchoring the whole system. Then I remove the backing paper off the tape at the sides and back of the piece in stages - sides first, then back. The secret of avoiding wrinkles I find is to get exactly the right amount of tension in the base as you stick it down - it has to be taut, but not under tension, if that makes sense. When the back is down I mark where the hairline falls with my thumbnail, then flip up and clip up the front of the piece and apply the glue. Then, when it is dry, I unclip the front of the piece and lay it down, sides first, and lastly the very front. Again, the degree of tension is the crucial thing.
If you are noticing shine at the hairline, try wetting your finger and gently patting the hairline where you see the shine. The water and your fingerprint seem to damp down the shine.
Noah
It's strange, but problems with having a lot of hairline lift seem to go away after you have been wearing for a week or two, I'm not sure why. Most beginners experience them, but by a month into the process they seem to sort themselves out.
Your routine sounds very thorough, and is pretty similar to what I do. By way of comparison, here is my routine, which I outlined for another poster:
I put the system on in the middle first, and then do the front and back. I tape up the back and sides, but leave the backing paper on the tape, and just turn over one corner on each piece. Then I put two little bits of additional tape (a square centimetre each) on the piece, about the mid-point (over the top of my ears) about a centimetre in from the edge, one on each side. I do take the backing paper off those. Then I give my scalp and the two small pieces of tape a light spritz of alcohol, and put the piece on. Because of the alcohol and the small size of the bare pieces of tape, I am able to move the piece around until it is in the perfect position, and once it is, I can press down on the two pieces of tape, and they stick, anchoring the whole system. Then I remove the backing paper off the tape at the sides and back of the piece in stages - sides first, then back. The secret of avoiding wrinkles I find is to get exactly the right amount of tension in the base as you stick it down - it has to be taut, but not under tension, if that makes sense. When the back is down I mark where the hairline falls with my thumbnail, then flip up and clip up the front of the piece and apply the glue. Then, when it is dry, I unclip the front of the piece and lay it down, sides first, and lastly the very front. Again, the degree of tension is the crucial thing.
If you are noticing shine at the hairline, try wetting your finger and gently patting the hairline where you see the shine. The water and your fingerprint seem to damp down the shine.
Noah
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After struggling for MONTHS with crap attachments, I tried the trick Noah outlines above... works PERFECTLY every time.
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Hey man, you’re 22? That’s my age. How do you feel about wearing? Do you feel comfortable enough going out/dating etc.
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Hey man, sure am. Just turned 22 actually. My hairloss literally skyrocketed at 19. At first it didn't really bother me, I just buzzed it really short and went about my business. But around 20-21 I started to realize I wasn't "me" without hair. I'm sure a lot of guys here on the forums understand that feeling. Quite honestly, because I essentially denied the hairloss for so long and was not proactive about it, I think I could have "saved" at least a little more hair. Now I take FoliGrowth and DHT Blocker for Advanced Trichology, which I've been on for about 2 months. I can defintely tell a difference in hair and skin, albeight small. But with this being a more natural approach to preventative methods, I feel better about it.
As for wearing, it's been almost a week with the hair you see above, and I can tell you that the quality of my life has tangibly gotten better. I don't stress about the hairline when I wake up like I used to. Embarrassingly though, the hairline is quite messy so I'm hoping my second attachment will be better thanks to Noahs tips mentioned above. I've noticed little things like looking people in the eye (especially attractive girls) has become much easier, if that makes sense.
I haven't gone to the gym or done any strenuous activities yet so I can't say I've really put it to the test, yet. I have a business trip for work coming up this week so I'll be able to report back my success.
I may be skewered for this, but I personally think the lace is much more comfortable than a think skin. It's all personal preference.
I still think about the "stigma" that still exists around hair systems, especially for young people like us, from time to time. But the fact is, hairloss just sucks, but we have options and we have a choice about wether or not we do something about it. In a perfect world, hairloss simply wouldn't exist, but until we get there, this is just what we have to work with. I consider myself fortunate to be able to do this (wear hair) and at this point, I would say I don't have the worse case of male pattern baldness (fingers crossed) out there. I always make a point to remind myself how much worse things really could be.
So, just know you're not alone and quite frankly, I think it's dope to know someone dealing with the same problem(s) I am.
As for dating, an ex of mine knows that I wear, she was encouraging and happy for me. She knew how much it bothered me and I told her months before we broke up. So, I'm enjoying being single at the moment. Do I think my chances are much better going forward? Hell yes. Will I tell her? probably not. Why does she need to know? Unless of course, she's the one. Highly unlikely at this point in my life.
Thank you so much! These are from Curtis at Hair by MHE and of MyHairExperience fame. If you haven't checked him out, I highly recommend him. if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have hair today. Seriously. I knew going with his systems was the right choice, because I have a HUGE forehead and pretty significant temple recession for my age, and having a large forehead accentuates the problem. I love how he designed his pieces with a lighter density. 60-65%. Thanks again!
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These systems are medium-light density (60-65%) as I said in my first post. It’s also very dark where I took those pics, and the hair is much lighter (literally and figuratively) in person, but thank you for your opinion.
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@Caleb Morgan
That looks good stigma or not. I have started watching the YouTube vids by Curtis to and he has a lot of useful advice. Maybe when I’m ready I will buy through him. Damn, the first pic looks the best man. My hair used to be about the same color as yours. If you don’t mind me asking what Norwood you are? I’m losing in a terrible Norwood 6 fashion. You could also see if needling helps with natural DHT blockers.
That looks good stigma or not. I have started watching the YouTube vids by Curtis to and he has a lot of useful advice. Maybe when I’m ready I will buy through him. Damn, the first pic looks the best man. My hair used to be about the same color as yours. If you don’t mind me asking what Norwood you are? I’m losing in a terrible Norwood 6 fashion. You could also see if needling helps with natural DHT blockers.
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Thanks so much man! I honestly think I'm a Norwood 4-5. Crown and front are bad.
Noah
Senior Member
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Hello RME
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself and what you want to achieve? For example:
- how much hairloss have you experienced, and what natural hair do you have left? What colour?
- are you wanting to have a salon do all the work of fitting you with a system (easy, but more expensive) or do you want to do it yourself (cheaper, but more work)? If you want a salon, where do you live?
- what kind of lifestyle do you have? Are you very sporting, or more sedentary? If sporting, what sports? Do you work outdoors or indoors? Do you live somewhere cool, or warm of humid? Are you partnered?
- When you get a system, are you planning to keep it private, of will you be open about it?
- what kind of hairstyle would you like from your system?
If we have this information we can give you more help.
Noah
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself and what you want to achieve? For example:
- how much hairloss have you experienced, and what natural hair do you have left? What colour?
- are you wanting to have a salon do all the work of fitting you with a system (easy, but more expensive) or do you want to do it yourself (cheaper, but more work)? If you want a salon, where do you live?
- what kind of lifestyle do you have? Are you very sporting, or more sedentary? If sporting, what sports? Do you work outdoors or indoors? Do you live somewhere cool, or warm of humid? Are you partnered?
- When you get a system, are you planning to keep it private, of will you be open about it?
- what kind of hairstyle would you like from your system?
If we have this information we can give you more help.
Noah